Random thoughts on VIA’s streetcar plan

Bexar County commissioners voted yesterday to allocate $55 million to VIA’s long-range, multimodal transportation plan, which includes a streetcar line running east-west through (kind of, but not really) downtown, according to a story in this morning’s Express-News.

Now, VIA’s own contribution, as well as another $55 million from the city, and construction on the streetcar line could start as soon as January, according to the article.

The plans calls for the line to connect the future Westside Multimodal Transit Center to the Robert Thompson Transit Center at the Alamodome. The line would run from the westside center east on Houston, turn south on Santa Rosa Street, and then head east down Nueva. As a starter line, it does make sense. VIA has plans to build the westside center and renovate the station at the Alamodome. And so connecting the two seems logical out of the box. But I wonder if anybody will use it.

There’s not much on Nueva. Market Square, La Villita, HemisFair Park and the Alamodome would be the major stops. But, for example, HemisFair Park is years away from being realized. Years and millions and millions of dollars away. This initial, Phase 1 project smacks too much of, “Hey, we have the money, let’s build something ASAP while we’re still alive to enjoy it!”

At least for me, Broadway makes too much sense for streetcar, even if it initially just connects the Pearl with Southtown. At the Pearl and in Southtown, there is parking. Both are the prominent, not-downtown-but-close tourist destinations. The River North portion of Broadway is dead anyway, but on the cusp of consistent development thanks to 1221 Broadway Lofts and The Pearl’s redevelopment. So imagine getting that thing started in January, the timing would be perfect. And in that stretch, the streetcar would run parallel with the Museum Reach. That kind of synergy other cities could only dream of.

As the B Line (I’m just making this up as I go along) heads south, keep it on Broadway, through to where it becomes Losoya and ultimately connecting to Alamo at the Torch of Friendship all the way to Southtown. That way you don’t piss off the Daughters, or whoever the hells running the Alamo at that point, and you really impact the little stretch from the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts (no, it’s not easy for me to not call it Municipal Auditorium) to like around Travis, a dilapidated area that has so much potential.

That one would come from the northeast. Personally, I would love to see one shooting down from San Pedro Avenue, into downtown, connecting to Main Avenue. It would have to veer off at some point, because you wouldn’t want it traveling in front of San Fernando Cathedral — or maybe you would, I don’t know; maybe it could be a resurrection of that street. But Main Avenue, like around Fox Tech High School to Houston Street, could really benefit from streetcar. Imagine retail, or even housing, being sparked by streetcar, with Artpace and Alamo Music Center serving as anchors.